fishing report

The Gunpowder River is flowing at 92 CFs, is clear and 46 degrees F. The last of the stoneflies are fading. Hendricksons have been on the move since last Saturday. Cooler, not colder nights have kept me from kicking the water trough first thing in the morning to break up the last of the winter ice. Banks are still soft and quite a few are undercut so mind your step as you’re getting back to the river. Stop in and pick up some of Mike Bachkosky’s beautiful Catskill style Light Hendricksons in a #14-16 and purposefully built snowshoe rabbit emergers and unusuals. Blue Winged Olives …

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The Gunpowder River is flowing at 110 Cfs, is gin clear and 46 F. Just a few cream midges, tiny olives, stoneflies and Hendricksons were lifting off today. Not many fish were rising freely but they are starting to look up. It’s still tough to move fish with dries first thing in the morning but one will find more active fish as the day progresses. Streamer fishing with zonkers across runs and deadfalls continues to be a sure bet. Please Note: The shop will be closed Easter Sunday and will reopen on Monday, April 1 at 10 AM.

Thanks to Chic for the steelhead report from Erie, PA. Backwater Angler and Gunpowder regulars Chic and Kay Dambach drove 7 hours northwest to Erie, PA in late March to play with some beautiful and enormous steelhead. The weather was cold and snowing, but guide Mark DeCarlo helped find the fish and he picked the right flies – small pale egg patterns and white wooly buggers. Chic and Kay did the rest. Chic has done it many times, but this was a first for Kay. She hates the cold, but she’ll be back for more regardless of the weather.

The Gunpowder River is a green, flowing at 152 Cfs and is 41 degrees. Fly fishing this weekend should prove to be a little more comfortable (warmer and less windy) than during the past week. Wednesdays anticipated snowstorm resulted in more blackbirds falling out of the sky than snowflakes. While most of the white stuff left us by Thursday morning, the trails are still plenty wet and a little greasy. If you have a pair of studs in your shoes use them. If you need a pair, stop in and we’ll make sure that you pick out the right kind for your Simms, patagonia or …

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I found myself lucky to be visiting my family and friends down south. Lance, who has a nice big camp in the marsh had an opening and I jumped at the chance to pay him a visit. A front pushed through that evening as Maggie worked up some red beans and rice. By dawn, fog framed a pair of Roseate Spoonbills perched in an old live oak snag overlooking the canal. When the motor kicked, they took flight and lead us out into the bayou.